Don't You Leave
by indiemuse
Summary: Beth goes missing from her room in the middle of the night, and the event threatens to blow the Glee Club apart. Possible Quick, Finnchel, various Glee friendships. This is my first fanfic, please r&r! T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

QUINN

I'm frantic. I'm panicked. I'm terrified.

I can't move.

The window is broken, glass on the floor. I'm not worried about cutting my feet. Sam tears the room apart, cursing. His hair is a mess. My hand drifts to my own head, against my will. It starts to smooth my hair, wants to pull it into a ponytail. It's not time, I tell it. It's not right.

_It's not right._

"Beth!" Sam screams. I've never heard him so loud. Even singing, even having an argument. It's as if his voice box is trying to escape. Raw. "Beth! Quinn, call someone! Quinn! _Quinn!_" He grabs me by the shoulders. He sounds like he's coming from far away now. I watch him get smaller, smaller, smaller.

RACHEL

I'm asleep when Sam calls. I try to tell him I need my sleep – any less than eight hours renders me less than stage-ready – but his words come in a jumbled rush. That my number was first on speed-dial, that Quinn had passed out, she couldn't talk, that Bethie was missing, .

"Missing?" I'm awake now.

"Rachel, please, please come." He hangs up. I listen to the dial tone on the phone for a moment before dialling Finn's number. No answer. I leave a message on his cellphone as I race out the door, snatching keys and gathering speed.

FINN

"Finn, there's something happening at Quinn's, Sam says Beth is missing – I'm going there now, come as soon as you can. I love you," Rachel's message tells me. She sounds energized, alive, for three in the morning. But that's Rachel Berry for you. She wears me out. I love her too, though. I shake my head to clear it. Beth. She's changed everything for us, Glee Club. Mainly Puck, though. No more juvie for him. Watching them, I almost don't mind that she's not mine. That she won't have my eyes or hair or rocking sense of rhythm. At least she's got Quinn for those first two.

Burt made good on his promise – the house we all share is bigger now. Right now though, that seems like a curse. The hall is endless. I crash into something in the dark on the way to Kurt's room. I figure he needs to be there and hurry into in. "Kurt. Kurt! Wake up, man." I shake the figure under the blankets and it groans.

"What is it?"

I back away from the bed quickly. "Blaine, I…sorry!"

Kurt sits up and disentangles himself. "What the hell, Finn? What is it?" I get myself together. Still not quite used to this Kurt's-boyfriend-staying-here yet.

"Quinn, uh, Sam…Sam and Quinn, and Beth…"

"C'mon, Frankenteen."

Everyone's so much faster than me when they wake up.

"Beth's missing."

SAM

By the time Rachel arrives – and she doesn't take long – Quinn's mom's house is overflowing with people. Most look official, busy. I'm holding Quinn. Put her into some clothes, got her tea. She's not drinking it. She's holding it and staring out the open front door. I speak to her and get nothing back. I've got my arms around her holding as tight as I can. I start humming. It feels wrong. I see Rachel trying to coordinate the search effort. She's half the height of almost everyone in the room, but her voice is twice as shrill. Some of the cops are even listening to her. Finn runs in the door and puts his arms around her. She twists into him and I think I can hear her cry. I've seen her cry before, of course. But this is different. The sound hurts me. I look down at Quinn's face, and there's nothing there, just that vacant stare.

Until Puckerman walks through that door she's staring down. Wordlessly, she's out of my arms and into his, wrapped in him, his chin on her head. She's sobbing. The cries sound as though they're being wrenched out of her. Puck tries to calm her. He strokes her back with one hand and pulls her face up towards him with the other. I can only imagine what he sees, because she'd never be that open with me.

PUCK

"Noah Puckerman," grins Det. Parks. "I didn't know you had ties to this area."

I feel Quinn's arms tighten around me. A warning. Parks' grin grows wider. He walks off, says something to another cop while looking at me.

"I don't know what to do." Her voice is so soft I have to ask her to say it again.

"You don't do anything. You sit tight. Wait. I'm gonna sort this. Gonna get her back."

"It's punishment."

I notice Evans watching us.

"No."

"It is, it is," she insists, eyes full of tears. Screw it. I stroke her cheek, see him tense.

"Don't talk trash. What for? You've done nothing wrong."

If this is my fault. If this is my fault…

I see Rachel across the room and everything makes awful sense.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N I forgot add (do I even need to?) that I don't own Glee or any of its characters, etc, etc. No reviews last time but some people favourited me? Is that common? See how much I know? Anyway, if you could spare the time to review or whatever, please do.

RACHEL

I can see Puck talking to one of the detectives. Their heads bowed, the urgency plain for all to see. Finn is still holding me tightly, but there are no more tears. I'm spent, for now.

"What do you think?" he asks me.

I can't reply. My forte is theater, singing, dancing, knowing all the words to both The Sound Of Music and Rock Of Ages. I don't know anything about children, much less what happens when they disappear, leaving behind only broken glass. With a kiss on his cheek, I pull away from him and go to Quinn, standing alone with a quiet desperation written over her features. I say nothing. I simply stand with her, gripping her hand, amazed to feel her grip back with all her might. My hand aches, but I don't complain. She needs me now. This is new. Sam comes over, takes her other hand.

I remain silent when she shakes it free.

SAM

Just when I think I have her, I realise I'm not even close. The way she ran to Puckerman, the way she seems to fit herself to him so easily. I walk away quickly before what Quinn does to me can sink in.

"How're you going?" Kurt asks with a sympathetic smile. Blaine has exactly the same look plastered on his face. I grit my teeth.

"Fine."

A look shoots between them. I'm on the couch between them both before I can protest. Blaine speaks first.

"Quinn is in shock."

"Right now, don't take anything she does personally."

"The police will be fantastic, and you know, we're all here for you, anything you need, you just…"

I hoist myself up and leave them on the couch. Another knowing look passes from one to the other, and I punch the wall beside me.

"Sam!" Finn's there, getting between me and the wall. He takes my wrists in his hands, holds them firmly. He sees something in my eyes that makes him let go, back away just a step.

I realise I'm crying.

PUCK

After that idiot Evans punches some wall, everyone is distracted for a brief second. Parks stops writing down what I'm saying. He watches Evans and Finn for a moment before turning back to me.

"And you think this is worth us looking into?"

"I swear."

"We need more. We need a threat, we need a note, anything that points us in the direction you're taking. Until then, we'll be exploring the usual channels."

"Which are?"

"We've got guys searching the streets now. Ascertaining how long she's been gone. The bed was warm, so whoever it is can't got far. We're in the process of blocking off the neighbourhood."

An image rises in my head and I try to keep from throwing up.

"The house? She's not…she's not in the house? The basement, or anything?" Now I'm thinking of cases – one in particular – where everyone's looking in the wrong place, and the child is hidden in the house, found later. Too late. Parks shakes his head.

"Checked. With a fine tooth comb and ten pairs of eyes. She's not here, Puckerman."

For once I can see a little sadness there. The standoffishness, the usual subtle digs, gone. When I explained to him Beth was mine, he began to take me seriously. That doesn't mean he didn't occasionally look at Quinn, then at me, with an expression of disbelief.

I get it. I don't believe I got that far with her either.

QUINN

There's a terrible ache in my chest. I can feel it starting to fill my body. Santana and Brittany have arrived. Santana is less than flawless, clad in pajama bottoms and a heavy jacket. Is it cold? I need to know. Is she cold? I don't know I've asked this out loud til Rachel replies, "I don't know."

I don't know.

She's six months old. She can't walk, talk, feed herself, let alone get out of her cot and break her window and leave me.

Puck makes his way to us, weaving through the crowd of people gathered. I'm dimly aware of Sam's eyes on me as I drop Rachel's hand and slip my arms around Puck's waist.

"If they don't follow up what I said, I'll do it myself," he says, low so only I can hear.

"You get her back," I mumble into his chest. "You get my baby back, Puckerman."

Is she cold?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Thanks for the reviews! So awesome for people to take the time, please know your opinions/feedback is very, very much appreciated.

FINN

Monday's Glee is quiet. Everyone knows now. Sam, Quinn, Puck and Mercedes are absent. Quinn's mom has begged us to try to get ourselves back into real life to get Quinn to do the same. Beth has been missing for over 30 hours. It doesn't seem like much.

Schue and Ms. Pillsbury enter the room, stand in front of us together.

"I know this has been a hard time for you guys. Ms. Pillsbury and I just wanted to tell you all that we're here for you. Don't hesitate to come see either of us if you need to talk." Schue stops and takes a deep breath in. "Sorry. I know how…old…cliché, those words must sound. But it's the truth." Rachel leans her head on my shoulder and yawns. I kiss her on the head and say to Schue, "Thanks. From all of us." He nods. Ms. Pillsbury dabs at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"I think you are all amazing. The way you're supporting Quinn and Sam, and Puck – you're all so brave."

We don't feel brave. I can almost feel everyone wanting to disagree. If we were brave, we wouldn't be here. We'd be out searching.

"You know, Mr. Schue, Ms. Pillsbury, I'm really sorry, but I just don't think we should be here right now." Rachel's voice is nothing new in Glee, but the way the group reacts is different. As one, we stand. "I think we need to be with Quinn."

"I thought her mom was right, about Quinn needing to see us being normal," I explain. "But there's nothing normal about any of this. I – we all – we need to be with Quinn, or out looking."

Schue and Ms. Pillsbury both hold identical, tiny smiles on their faces.

"We thought as much," says Schue. "We'll join you. Meet you all at Quinn's?"

We leave the room, go to our cars, and do just that.

PUCK

I rub my hands over my eyes trying to think. My head is fuzzy with no sleep, no Beth, no Quinn. I slap my hands on my steering wheel and pull over. Finn, behind me in his car with Rachel, nods as he sees my indicator light up.

This seems like aimless driving. It's not. I have a plan. Getting out of my car, I see Kurt and Mercedes are already waiting in Kurt's car. Finn and I had been in a convoy driving around town, scoping out anyone pushing a pram. Finally, knowing we wouldn't get far, I figured we could follow up on what I'd told Parks, who, to my knowledge, had not done anything about it.

Rachel couldn't be with us. I'd called Kurt, asked him to ring Rachel and tell her Quinn needed her, and he'd come grab her, take her there. He'd done as I'd asked and Rachel had left Finn and gone with them without fuss. I'd expected some argument, some high-pitched yelping. Grateful that there wasn't any. Didn't know how much more I could take.

Finn asks, "You sure about this?"

I reply, "No."

RACHEL

Quinn is alone, sitting outside in the sunshine when Kurt, Mercedes and I get to her house. Her house is free of people – the police are focussing elsewhere, her mom is working. As we approach, she looks at us. I feel dread fill me.

"Sam's gone." Her voice is flat.

"Gone where?" Mercedes asks. She sounds as if she already knows. I hope she's wrong.

"He left this." Quinn holds something in her hand. She doesn't offer it to any of us, so Kurt reaches down and pulls it from her. He reads it. Turns it around to show us. It just says, _"I'll find her. I love you." _

"So not gone, gone, then," I say with relief. "He'll be back later it seems! Well, that's great news, Quinn. Isn't he great? Great. Great voice, though a tad raw, but you know, I was just thinking of ways I could help lose that roughness – in some people it's fine, you know, Puck, but in someone like Sam, well he could be…great…" I trail off. Kurt and Mercedes are staring at me, horrified.

"What is your childhood trauma, Berry?" Kurt grinds out. He drapes an arm across Quinn's shoulders.

"I just…I'm sorry, I don't know to deal with all this." I am always honest. I never want any untruths coming back to haunt me. Unless they are untruths that have put me on top. I think that's justified.

"Where would he start?" Mercedes wonders. None of us have any answer.

"_I don't care!_" Quinn screams. She stands. The most awful noise rushes from her mouth as she balls her fists and doubles over. Her face is contorted. Red. It's like a child throwing a tantrum, only it's gutteral, coming from some primeval place inside her. Kurt backs away. "_I don't care! I don't care! I don't care!" _She dissolves into sobs. I hear her saying something under her breath. I lean forward.

"Beth. Beth. Beth. Beth. Beth…"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Where I am, right now, there's an awful tragedy that's just occurred. It's weighing pretty heavy on my heart.

Thanks for the reviews and whatnot, they're always gratefully received - look after yourselves. 

FINN 

I follow Puck up a long driveway. I know he's got to do this, that he won't rest until he knows one way or the other. He stops suddenly.

"Thanks," he says, his voice thick. "Thanks for doing this."

I start to put my arms around him and he pushes me away. "No homo," he says with a laugh. I feel myself relax a little. We keep walking. A house appears around a corner. I almost can't breathe. I'm grateful Rachel isn't here. Puck moves swiftly to the door, pushes it open and walks in.

Shelby Corcoran sees us as we enter her living room. Her face sags slightly; her shoulders slump.

"Where is she?" Puck is demanding. Not to be messed with. Ms. Corcoran seems fragile. She allows Puck to walk farther into her home.

"They've already talked to me," she tries to explain, but he's gone. I see him walking upstairs. Ms. Corcoran moves to me.

"Finn, I'm so sorry. The police were here earlier today. Noah has told them…what happened. With Quinn and Beth. And me. They knew everything." She falls silent for a long moment. I can hear Puck slamming doors. "I'll let him do that til he's exhausted. She's not here. I wouldn't do that. To Quinn, or…or Rachel. I couldn't."

I stare at her, her eyes on the ground. She lifts her head. Rachel is in there. I marvel at that for a second.

"I know, Ms. Corcoran. But he has to try everything. She's his daughter."

I kick myself mentally. What does she think?

"It's alright, Finn. Like I said to Rachel. I'm her mother, not her mom. I'm not offended."

Puck yells something I can't understand from above us. I run through the house.  
He's bent over a cot.

QUINN

I sit next to Mercedes on the couch, leaning on her shoulder. She's channel surfing. I don't have the energy to think anymore. To cry. Scream. Talk. She understands this better than anyone else, lets me just sit there. She doesn't ask if I need anything.  
She stops on a tribute service being broadcast on local TV. Two families had died in a car accident not far from Lima. The families had, apparently, been well known in their area. The newscaster was holding something in her hand. A pink blanket.

"This is from the mother of one of the women killed in the accident, last Sunday," she says. "It simply reads 'my daughter, my daughter. You're all the world to me.'" She stares at the camera as if she's letting it sink in. Mercedes starts to raise the remote. I put my hand on her arm and she stops.  
"It's good," I say softly, "that I'm not the only one."

She doesn't need to ask what I mean.

RACHEL

"I have called this meeting of the Glee Club for one reason."

"Hold it, Pippi," Santana interrupts. "I'm not here for you. I'm not going to listen to you outline one of your insane plans and try to make us soliders of Berry. Not. Happening."

I take a breath in. "Santana, please refrain from name calling. This is a serious situation and I expect you to treat it as such."

"I'm aware of that, Berry. But stop using it to get ahead. No one nominated you head of the Beth campaign. Sit down." She stands beside me and looks at me. It's a long look. I sit down.

"Look. We all know this is bad. But I think we need to prepare ourselves for the fact that Beth may never be back."

We all start talking at once, outraged.

"_Settle!_" she yells. "Let me finish. We should be prepared for the worst, while hoping for the best. The best outcome is Beth home." Minor grumbling. We know she's right. " We can't do much right now, but I think we should try and raise some awareness. Everyone needs to know."

"That is exactly what I was going to do," I muttered. Kurt elbowed me.

"Door knocking. We'll take different neighbourhoods, split up in teams." She begins to assign us streets. My phone sings Barbra to me, signalling a message. I flip it open.

_Come to Shelby's_

PUCK

I bring my fist down on the cot in Shelby Corcoran's house, start kicking it, breaking apart the wood. It goes flying everywhere. I grab a blanket from it and tear to pieces. I throw the musical note mobile at the window with enough force so it shatters. I rip posters from the walls, heads from toys. I destroy the entire room.  
Then Quinn walks in. She touches my back and I'm crying like a kid. Not like the man I promised her I'd be. I find myself on my knees, in the center of the mess I've created with my bare hands. Quinn holds me. She's talking. Whispering.

"God, please. Please help us. We need her. I'm sorry for what we did. How we hurt her. But we need Beth. Please. God, please. Please…"

I grip her arms with my hands. I talk when she does and our words tumble together. I hope whoever is listening to untangle them, that they can understand our need.

Amongst the debris there is a tiny peace. Hope.

"Sam went to find her," Quinn says.

"She's not here. I thought. I thought Shelby might have…"

"Me too," she replies.

"How you feeling?"

I feel her lips on my neck as she tells me how bad it's getting. How she doesn't want to move or speak, in case Beth can't. Out of some weird solidarity.

"Quinn." She looks at me and the words I was going to say, leave.

"Noah, you need to apologise to Shelby."  
I hold her tighter.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N I sort of lost where I was going with this (if you couldn't tell) so I stopped writing for a few days.

Still don't know where I'm going. But let's find out. Once more, thanks for the reviews/adds! If you've got any criticism (constructive or otherwise, I'm tough) let me have it. PS I just saw a few spelling/grammar mistakes in my previous chapters. Nothing turns me off fanfic more than easily fixed errors, so I apologise to all of you. My shame burns.

QUINN

Puck's hand grips mine as we walk down the stairs, into Ms. Corcoran's living room. Finn stands between Rachel and Ms. Corcoran, Kurt at Rachel's side. Both boys look at though they've been running interference.

"Sorry," Puck mutters. He leads me out the door. The others fall into line, and Finn shoots Ms. Corcoran a sympathetic look. As she shuts her front door, Rachel spins around and berates him. "How could you? How could you feel sorry for her?"

"How could you not?" he shoots back. "I mean, sorry, Quinn, Puck, but you promised her a baby, then you took it away. She has the right to be upset."

The look that crosses Rachel's face makes Finn stumble back a step.

"She had her chance with me. And she messed it up. She doesn't deserve to do that to another child."

"She wouldn't have. She wouldn't have made the same mistake."

"You can't know that!"

Finn opens his mouth to respond, but is stopped by the door opening and Shelby Corcoran standing before all of us, speaking.

"I might have." She looks at Puck and I, with a sad smile. "I understand why you did it." I nod. "I wasn't the best person for her. I might have messed it up, like I did with Rachel."

Rachel is standing there with tears streaming down her face. I think to myself, is this a mother? Someone who can admit their biggest mistake, to the person who suffered the most from it?

"I'm sorry." The words fall from my lips before I can stop them; before I realise what I'm saying. "I'm sorry. It's just. We love her too."

That smile disappears. "I never doubted it." She opens her mouth, closes it again. Shakes her head and finally says, "I hope you find her."

FINN

Puck, Quinn, and I go in my car back to Quinn's. I hear Rachel ask Kurt if he can drop her back at her place, and he nods, with a 'What can I do?' look in my direction as he opens his car door for her. I agree silently. We all know with Rachel in full diva mode it's best to leave her alone. I shouldn't say diva. But it seems to be one of only two modes Rach has.

"You okay?" Puck asks me quietly. Quinn is sitting in the back seat with a death grip on her cellphone.  
"Yeah. Fine."

That's all we say until we get to Quinn's house and pile out, heading inside. Puck slings an arm around Quinn. I realise how easy it looks, how simple it is for her to be with him. I feel a slight pang in my chest, but I know it means nothing. I wonder what Sam thinks, what he'll say when we walk in and he sees his girlfriend under Puck's arm.

Mercedes, Tina, Mike and Santana are waiting for us. Det. Parker is there too, speaking into a radio. When he sees us, he asks us just what the hell we thought we were doing.

"Investigating," Puck replies. "Doing your job. She doesn't have her, not that I should tell you. I should let you go back in there again, do it properly."

"That's right," Parks says, barely keeping his anger in check. "That's exacly what you should be doing!"

"Screw you." Puck pulls Quinn upstairs.

"I'm sorry, Detective," I say. "He doesn't know what he's doing. He's desperate. We think you're doing a fine job." A lie, but he doesn't have to know. Parks sighs.

"I know." He walks out.

PUCK

Quinn takes her shoes off and lies down on her bed. It's only a single, but she shifts to its edge and looks at me. I do the same. We lie on our sides, facing each other. She reaches out her hand and slowly rubs the side of my cheek. I close my eyes.

This is everything I've wanted. I might've played around on her, fooling with Santana. But it's her I want. Without seeing her now, I know perfectly the details of her face. I open my eyes and she's moved closer.

"Evans," I whisper.

"Gone," she says.

"Not for good though. He won't stay away for long."

"Noah." She moves even closer. "Please."

We haven't been here that often. But it's like we were here just yesterday. I remember how to make her eyes widen. Everything that's happening, it doesn't go away. The shadow of Beth is over the house. For a moment, though. For a moment.

This is all we are for.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Thanks for the reviews and favourites! So great. Here's Sam as a reward. Haha, kidding. Kind of. I am not. Not kidding. Ugh, here.

SAM

I'm running up Quinn's driveway. Pounding up her front steps. I throw open her door.  
"Where is she?" I ask. Everyone is in her living room, talking in quiet whispers. I wonder if I'm too late, if they all know already. Finn stands.  
"She's in her room, but Sam –"  
I'm not listening to the rest. I see Quinn in my head. It's only been three days since I've seen her, but I hope I've got the information to make her see me. I know I should take it to the cops first. I want her to see it before that, though. I need her to know I kept my promise. And that it didn't even take that long. Her door is ajar, just slightly, and I push it all the way open.  
"Quinn, I – "

Puckerman's arm is wrapped around her, peace spread across both their faces. They're asleep. That doesn't take away the dark circles under her eyes, the sudden odd blue tint to her skin. For an insane moment I wonder if she's dead. If he killed her. I clench my fists, impulses running through me – punch him, throw him out the window, wake her up, tell her I'm sorry. I realise I've scrunched the photo in my hand, but I don't care. I throw it on the bed. Onto their bodies. They don't even stir.  
Finn meets me as I come down the stairs. He sees how I look, I'm sure, and backs off. He says nothing as I leave.

RACHEL

Kurt pulls up to Quinn's house. "I understand, Rachel. But put all that aside for awhile. Quinn and Puck need us."  
"Sam!"  
"Well, yes, Sam too," Kurt says, confused. He sees what I see. "Oh! Sam!"  
Sam's face is pale, his shoulders slumped. When he sees us, I shiver. He looks as though he's looking past us, to something we can't see. Kurt and I get out of the car at the same time and rush to him.  
I've seen grief. I've felt it, not getting the part I deserve, or seeing one of my dads miss out on something they want because of who they are. I do know this is not real, true grief, like Quinn is feeling. How she screamed on her lawn. How she cried.  
Not a small part of me wonders what will happen if Beth is dead.  
But now, it's Sam who wears the look of complete hopelessness. It's as if he just lost everything he ever had. Thinking of Puck and Quinn, maybe he has. I reach out to him, and he falls into my arms. He's much bigger than me, and the weight of him has me stumbling back. Kurt looks at us, shocked. He mouths what happened? I shake my head. I have a guess but I'm hoping I'm wrong. Sam grips me. I feel like a doll. Finn runs out of the house. Puck, he's saying. Puck and Quinn. I know what's happened. What we all thought would happen, even after Quinn accepted Sam's ring. Mercedes thought about warning him. I guess she didn't, because I have Sam on my shoulder. It feels strange.  
"Rachel, there's something else," Finn says, looking embarassed. "I think he brought this with him. It was on…it was inside." He holds something out to me. I roll my eyes – how can I take it now, with Sam? I'm surprised to feel him pulling away.  
"I don't know who he is. But it's what I turned up, for I was looking for her. There's a number too."  
I stare at Finn. He shoves the thing in his hands at me and stands back. It's crumpled, so I take it and start to smooth it out.  
Jesse St. James smiles back at me, in performance mode. He wears his 'Highway To Hell' costume, his mouth open in a huge grin. There's a number scrawled across the bottom of the photograph. I can't speak.  
"I haven't called the number," Sam says. "I thought I'd leave it for the cops."  
"Forget that," Finn replies. He looks at me, decides I've had enough time with the photo of my ex-boyfriend, and snatches it back. He pulls out his cellphone and starts to dial.  
Kurt and Sam have fallen silent, watching. I notice my hand shaking and grab it with the other.  
Finn drops the cellphone like it's burning. He looks at me helplessly. "I…" I pick it up.  
"Hello?" a voice says. "Hello? Who is this?"

SHELBY

I hang up the phone. "They were here earlier," I finish telling him. "But they didn't find anything. Noah Puckerman went a little crazy on my old nursery, though. Everything's ruined. I'll show you."  
Will Schuester follows me upstairs to the room. When he sees it, the destroyed toys and broken cot, he wraps his arms around me. I lean into him a little more.  
"I'm sorry, Shelby."  
"It's not your fault." I pull away and start to clean up the room, piling the debris into the corner. He joins me. "He's an angry, impulsive young man who has just lost his baby girl. I'd do the same."  
"I'm worried."  
"Of course you are. They're your kids."  
Will smiles and looks away. "Don't say that."  
"Sorry." I know what he means. We might teach these kids, see them almost every day for most of their high school years, but they don't belong to us. It just feels like they do.

"I thought Quinn was stronger than this, after last year, with the baby. But now. She's falling apart. Her mom is no help. Noah and Sam look like they're fighting over their favourite toy. I just wish we knew where she was."  
"We all wish that."  
"I know. Do you think there's anything more I could do, though?"  
I put down the wood I'm stacking and face him. "You can't do anything more that you're already doing. You're here for them. That's it. It's a waiting game."  
He sighs. "Yeah." We return to what we're doing. "Shelby?"  
"Yes?"  
"What if she's dead?"  
The way he says it, I'm not sure if the thought's been said out loud before.  
"I don't know."  
"Do you ever…wish. Do you ever wish she'd…ended up here?"  
I stay facing away from him so he can't see my face.  
"No."

FINN

"We're going back there," Rachel blusters. "We have to."  
"Rachel, this could be, I don't know, a set up or something. We've just come from Shelby's! There's no way."  
Her face is bright red as she stalks up to me, hissing in my face, "Then what is this? Who would do this? We're going to Shelby's. I don't care if you don't come, but I'm not going to leave this. What if she is there, and we just missed her?"  
"Listen to yourself!" I roar. "Just stop and listen to what you're saying! Do you really think this is something Shelby would do?"  
"You thought she would before! You went to her house!"  
"Yeah, and look how that turned out!"  
We're screaming in each other's faces, and I don't recognise this Rachel at all. Her voice is wrong, her face never holds that much true anger. We've forgotten Sam and Kurt, watching us.  
"Where is this from?" I ask Sam.  
"I…I can't –" Before he can finish I'm on him, I have him on the ground and I'm holding his shirt in my hands. "Get off!" He struggles. "I mean it, Hudson!"  
"Where is this from?" I ask again. He bucks against me but he's not going to get out of the grip I have on him, my knees pinning his hips to the ground.  
"Ms. Pillsbury," he relents. "But it's not what you think. Now get off me!"


	7. Chapter 7

QUINN

I wake up to his eyes watching me .  
"Sorry." He's quieter than I've ever heard him before. "Sorry. I'm sorry."  
I burrow closer into his side. I feel glued to him; if we were to separate it would cause me to burn. Maybe lose some of myself. But I can read his face, and it's already pulling away from me. As he tries to move out of the bed, I hook my legs over his body.  
"Quinn."  
"I don't want to." Leave. Remember. Think. Please, most of all, I don't want to think. Somewhere I recognise this feeling as selfish. I've pushed Beth aside. She's been relegated to a tiny space in my brain; banished to occupy a dark corner in case she's had the guts to go and...The door opens wide and light floods in. I don't even know what time it is. Finn and Rachel are standing there.  
"Sam's back."  
"He brought this." Rachel holds a crumpled piece of paper in her hands. Puck is out of the bed and the sudden absence of warmth hits me in the side, cold biting me with hard, nasty teeth. But I don't know if it's a physical drop of temperature or just the sensation of being alone. I pull the sheets up, search for some clothes on the floor. I turn my back to the others while I slip a dress over my head. It's a sunny yellow and it makes me feel ill. Puck's hand is warm on my shoulder as he puts the paper in my lap. I fold it out, smooth its edges over my knees, and stare blankly at the smiling face of Jesse St. James.  
"What the hell," I hear myself say. "What the hell does your ex boyfriend have to do with anything? Berry?" There's that momentary pause where I just stop myself from calling her something insulting out of habit.  
"I got it from Ms. Pillsbury," comes a voice from behind her. I recognise it. I don't even care enough to feel ashamed at the state he'll see me in, see the bed he slept in not long ago filled with someone else. Sam steps into the room. He barely glances at Puck, but looks me dead in the eye. "But as I've been trying to explain, it's...it's complicated. I think she's just trying to help, I don't even really know the guy or what he's about."  
I see a look between Rachel and Finn, and Rachel shifts almost imperceptibly away from him. I knew it. For a moment I feel triumphant.  
"He's a jerk," Puck says bluntly. "And if he's got anything to do with this, I'll take him apart. I'll – "  
"The number is Shelby's," Rachel interrupts. "But we know Beth isn't there. We need to talk to Ms. Pillsbury."  
"She's downstairs. She came straight away when I called her." Finn holds Rachel's phone up. Puck is out the door and I see him pounding the stairs, Finn and Rachel close behind. Sam keeps his eyes on me as I stand, pulling my dress down. I look at the ground as I go to walk past him, but he stops me, an arm across the doorframe.  
"I love you," he says quietly. I feel my chest constricting. "I love you, Quinn. And I know you can't...I know you don't feel the same yet. But I love you more than anything, anyone. Whatever happens."  
His breath hits the side of my face like a slap. "Excuse me," I say. "I have to go downstairs now."

PUCK

Ms. Pillsbury looks scared. Her eyes are always the size of plates, but today they look even larger.  
"I told the detectives," she tells me, looking around us. "But they weren't ready to look into it, and I didn't want to let it slide. At the same time, Noah, I didn't want to bring you into it. You're angry," she says before I can speak, "and it wasn't a good idea to make you angrier. So when Sam came to me, I thought I could tell him. I thought it might better to just...nudge him in the right direction. Please, please understand, the police really weren't interested in chasing Jesse. They didn't see the point."  
"Ms. Pillsbury, I can't understand." Rachel sounds flat and defeated. Somewhere in this rage, I can find some sympathy for her, having both her mom and her ex thrown in her face in the same week. "Why Jesse?"  
Ms. Pillsbury exhales. "He came to see me, after...after Quinn changed her mind. He asked me if I thought she could be convinced to give Beth up after all. I told him I didn't know, that it was Quinn's choice and that she seemed set on keeping Beth now. He wasn't angry. He accepted it and he walked away. All I have to say, for all this, Rachel...all I have to go on is a feeling. And when Jesse walked out of my office, it didn't feel right."  
"And the police won't look into a feeling." Sam stands beside Finn. "So I thought I'd go see this guy. But the number wasn't his, and I figured, he looks like a glee clubber in this photo, maybe you guys would know him. I didn't know how well," he says to Rachel. She shrugs. It's a tiny gesture that makes me want to hold her.  
"Let's go then," she says, looking at each of us. "Let's go find Jesse."


	8. Chapter 8

Been aaaaaaages since I updated, I know...and the chapters are short I suppose! Sorry, I'm just finding it easier with this to take it in small chunks...go figure. As always, reviews are love and you'll have mine forever if you spare the time to either tell me I'm on the right track, or that I'm so far off you can't even see me. Finally, I have no idea how far Jesse lives from Lima (research, what's that?) so y'know. Liberties have been taken in regards to the time thing. Bear with me.

RACHEL

Sometimes, in the biggest silence, you shouldn't do anything to fill it. It kills me to hold my tongue; it always has, but right now, with Finn gripping the steering wheel so hard I'm afraid he'll break it, I don't have a choice.  
Jesse St. James holds no more allure for me now than does the stage of a grade school. I won't say I wasn't in love with him, when we were together. He represented so much that I thought I needed in my life – not to mention the way he just seemed to...understand, everything about me, how I was driven, not bitchy. Maybe a little bitchy. Always for the right reasons, though.  
The fact I was about to see him changed nothing for me, which surprised me, just slightly. I had expected dark, twisty emotions, conflicted angst songs. None of it. I felt nothing.  
I reach across and place my hand on Finn's. After a moment, he turns his hand palm up and grips mine.  
"It's Quinn. Not Quinn, exactly, just what happened with her, and Puck. Can you...get that?" He sounds helpless. I grip his hand tighter.  
"I know. But you can trust me. You can always trust me, I promise."  
A smile ghosts across his face. "I love you, Rach."  
Why can't I look at him when I reply? I ignore a sudden gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. I'm not lying to myself, I say firmly in my mind. I'm not. This is real, and definite, what's happening in this car right now. Finn's mood has lifted, and with it, the gloom surrounding us both. He lets go of my hand and taps a rhythm on the wheel. I watch him, willing myself to smile with him, to talk.  
"So, Jesse," he says, not missing a beat.  
"Yeah."  
"Do you think there's a shot?"  
I pause. I want there to be, for Quinn, Puck and Sam. I really, really want Beth to be with Jesse.  
"I don't know," I say finally. "I'm too scared to hope."  
"I know what you mean. I feel like this could just be another dead end. You know, like, if the cops thought it was worth looking into they'dve been there already?"  
"Yeah." We lapse into silence again. It's getting dark quickly, and I feel Finn step on the gas just a little more. Behind us, Sam drives Quinn and Puck. I admire his ability to rise above it. I can see Quinn hunched against the passenger door, Puck staring straight out the center of the car windscreen. It may not have been wise to bring all these people, but there was no way I, as the main communicator, would go without Finn, and there was no way Sam would let Quinn go alone with Puck.  
Finn pulls over a few houses down from where Jesse lives with his parents.  
"He might not even be here," I caution him. "He might be at college."  
"Rachel. That's his car," Finn says gently, taking my hand again.  
"I'm scared." It's a simple truth that threatens my careful composure.  
"Of what?"  
"Seeing him. Finn. I'm really scared." I breathe in deeply, exhale shakily. Finn leans in to me and as he touches my forehead I feel something shake loose inside me, a feeling buried, brought back by a small connection.  
"I'm gonna be with you. The whole time. And if you make it through this without throwing up, I'll give you a gold star."

SAM

"He's home? He can't have her. Why would he bring her here?" I'm talking to myself. No one talked the entire way here, and Quinn and Puck made a concerted effort to avoid any kind of contact. I get out of the car and walk over to Finn and Rachel, huddling inside. They break apart when I rap on the window.  
"Do you think this is legit?" I'm trying not to sound belligerent, but I think I'm failing. Rachel's face darkens for a moment.  
"All we can do is try," she says as she swings open her door. I jump aside to let her pass. I don't know what happened with her and St. James, but watching her steady herself, watching her straighten her back and try and walk taller than her 5'2, I know she's carrying something that she's trying to keep concealed. Finn hurries to catch her as she strides quickly up the footpath. With them in front, and Puck and Quinn behind me, I feel hemmed in. I resolve to keep my eyes ahead. Moving forward, I watch Rachel get closer to Finn. He is holding her small hand. They pace at the same speed despite Rachel's legs being half Finn's, and I wonder for a moment at the work that must take.  
After what feels like an age we're outside the house. There's nothing about it to suggest there's a man in there, hiding a baby. The five of us stand on the path, staring, not ready to make a move.  
"Sure about this?" Finn sounds ready to bolt.  
"Come on," Rachel says, walking up to the front door.  
"What, you're just gonna knock?" Quinn hisses, hanging back. "You have to have something more than that up your sleeve."  
Rachel spins around and fixes Quinn with a stare. "I'm doing this for you." Quinn opens her mouth, then decides against it. She steps around us to join Rachel at the door. Finn and Puck automatically step up behind them, backing them silently.  
I've never felt more like a spare in my life.


End file.
